Manhole covers are widely used in service stations to allow individuals to access various components (e.g., underground fuel storage tanks) of fuel transfer systems located below grade level. A significant concern surrounding manhole covers is the overall weight of the manhole cover as the manhole cover must be repeatedly removed throughout any given year so that an individual can access a component of the fuel transfer system stored below the manhole cover. Many prior art manhole covers are relatively heavy which can result in injury to an individual during the removal process. While manhole covers have been formed from a composite material to reduce the overall weight of the cover, such covers are typically subject to considerable deflection when loaded by, for example, a wheel of a refueling tanker or other vehicle. Further, other relatively light weight covers do not evenly distribute the load across the area of the manhole cover assembly which can lead to premature failure of the manhole cover. Some relatively light weight covers require introduction of foam into the interior of the manhole cover wherein the foam is needed to provide the necessary structural stability to the manhole cover.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a manhole cover assembly that is lightweight, experiences little or no deflection of the cover when loaded, is free of structural foam and/or evenly distributes the load across the manhole cover assembly.